In 2010, you posed for the following picture in support of California's NOH8 campaign in the fight for legalizing same-sex marriage:
On May 2nd, 2011, Donald Trump used the following--odd--analogy to describe his hatred of same-sex marriage:
“It’s like in golf,” he said. “A lot of people -- I don’t want this to sound trivial -- but a lot of people are switching to these really long putters, very unattractive,” said Mr. Trump, a Republican. “It’s weird. You see these great players with these really long putters, because they can’t sink three-footers anymore. And, I hate it. I am a traditionalist. I have so many fabulous friends who happen to be gay, but I am a traditionalist.”
By definition, the twice-divorced, three-times-married Donald Trump is not a traditionalist.
So if Donald Trump is lying about being a traditionalist, then he is lying about why he hates the idea of two loving, consenting adults of the same sex joining together in marriage. Since Trump lacks the backbone to speak frankly, the most we can infer from his inarticulate analogy is that he finds the marriage of two loving, consenting adults of the same sex "very unattractive", as well as "weird", and he just "hate[s] it."
Ms. Matlin, it's commendable that you have used the platform of your celebrity to support California's NOH8 campaign, but it's unfortunate that your support is so fleeting that you would associate yourself with the likes of Donald Trump. It's commendable that you have used the platform of your celebrity to raise charitable donations for the Starkey Hearing Foundation, but you’ve tainted that money by raising it on the back of Donald Trump in conjunction with a marketing campaign for "7-UP Retro."
While it is true that The Celebrity Apprentice raises some money for charity, its main goal is to raise money for Donald Trump (who reportedly receives $3 million per episode of The Apprentice). The Celebrity Apprentice is a tool with which Donald Trump can use charity to shield himself from criticism of his deplorable acts:
In 1973, Trump Management Corporation was sued by the Justice Department for quoting different rental terms and conditions to blacks and whites and lying to blacks that apartments were not available. In 1989, Donald Trump opted to use $85,000 of his money ($150,000 when adjusted for inflation) to place ads calling for the execution of five falsely-accused minorities; a heinous act for which he has yet to apologize. In recent history, Donald Trump opted to use his money to hire investigators to validate the beliefs of the racist "birther" movement.
This is what Donald Trump does with his money. This is what sponsors such as 7-UP enable Donald Trump to do when they give him money through advertising. You had a choice of who you used to help raise money for the Starkey Hearing Foundation, but despite his documented history, you chose Donald Trump.
While it is true that 7-UP raises some money for charity, 7-UP's main goal is to raise money for 7-UP. Money that any corporation spends advertising on The Apprentice is money that flows to Donald Trump. Every can of 7-UP that you encourage people to buy translates into money flowing directly to Donald Trump; what he uses his immoral compass to do with that money is his choice. Knowing what you know of Donald Trump, do you think he uses his money to fund pro-NOH8 campaigns or anti-NOH8 campaigns?
Ms. Matlin, you have the choice to use the platform of your celebrity to admit your mistake of associating with Donald Trump, publicly cut ties with him, and encourage others to do the same.
When 7-UP Retro urges us to remember the past, everyone should remember Donald Trump’s past. If 7-UP isn't embarrassed to be associated with the racist overtones, racist undertones, and homophobic remarks of a malignant narcissist, that's their prerogative. They can put his face on their product packaging, but we don't have to buy the hate - we don't have to buy any of Dr. Pepper Snapple Group's products.
We can call 7-UP @ 1-800-696-5891
We can write 7-UP here
We can express our outrage, demand that they exercise corporate responsibility, refuse to buy any of their products, and spread word through Twitter with the hashtags #DumpTrump #7UP
But if you choose to, your voice can speak louder than all of ours combined.
Will you…
…or is this just a pose?